has endorsed the half-cent health research sales tax on the November ballot.

The announcement came late the afternoon.

From the statement:

“A new Institute for Translational Research is a key part of the KC Chamber’s Big 5 goal for life sciences, and so the board’s vote to support the proposal is another step toward the success of this important initiative,” said Jim Heeter, president and chief executive officer of the chamber.

Privately, enthusiasm for the tax among some Kansas City business people has been decidedly lukewarm.

But the chamber’s endorsement isn’t a surprise. We’ll see how significant it is as campaign contributions roll in.